TalkTalk CuffCuffs 'ScamScam CrimCrims'

Indian call center workers accused of harvesting data

UK ISP TalkTalk is considering cutting ties with its Indian call center provider after three employees at the site were arrested for allegedly scamming customers.

The budget telco said police in Kolkata have nabbed a trio of Wipro call center workers as part of an investigation into security practices. Wipro runs the customer service call center for TalkTalk.

"Acting on information supplied by TalkTalk, the local Police have arrested three individuals who have breached our policies and the terms of our contract with Wipro," TalkTalk said in a statement posted Wednesday.

"We are also reviewing our relationship with Wipro."

While TalkTalk did not say what precisely the workers were arrested for, Channel 4 linked workers at the call center to an investigation into phone scams targeting individual TalkTalk customers.

TalkTalk noted that while the review was not directly related to the investigation of the 2015 data breach, the arrested Wipro workers were spotted as part of the security overhaul triggered by the incident.

"We are determined to identify and deal effectively with these issues and we will continue to devote significant resources to keeping our customers' data safe," the discount carrier said.

"Data theft and scams are a growing issue affecting all businesses and they are notoriously difficult to investigate and prosecute." ®